Jurassic Park closes the end of summer at USH

dweezil78

dweezil78

Well-Known Member
Awesome! Been rumors about this for quite some time now. JP was in dire need of some updates, those old dinos have been looking pretty ragged for quite some time. Hopefully they are replaced with something that can withstand the hot SFV sun a bit better.
 
Darkbeer1

Darkbeer1

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
dweezil78 said:
Awesome! Been rumors about this for quite some time now. JP was in dire need of some updates, those old dinos have been looking pretty ragged for quite some time. Hopefully they are replaced with something that can withstand the hot SFV sun a bit better.
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Lots of new high tech stuff is being installed. The Ride system will remain the same, as will the flume. Everything else was allowed to be changed. Most things have been decided, but some areas might get changed if newer tech is available by the end of the year. Nice thing, the budget was designed to make over the other two locations after USH's open. New AA's with new framing are already in the works. Expect a whole new plot line, and the outer area getting a major makeover.

Tonight was the first of a couple special events, and the secret was coming out there.

But I got some info earlier, but promised to keep my mouth shut.

Should be a great new attraction.
 
Model3 McQueen

Model3 McQueen

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Kram Sacul said:
Hopefully they'll put some money into some convincing dinosaurs and reliable effects. The Ride was great when it first opened but has looked shabbier and sad as time went on.

How it looked like in 1997:

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WOW. That looks terrifying. Great animatronic effect.

I hope they make it like the movie. The first part is Jurassic World, the second part is the old Jurrasic Park. I'd like to see an appearance by Indominous but a T-Rex finale is a MUST.
 
D

DanielBB8

Well-Known Member
The dinosaurs look so fake and they don’t even bother to hide the support structure underneath the water so you can see there’s no dinosaur there. The boat lap bar is the worst. They need to put in seat belts instead. Most special effects don’t work.
 
Model3 McQueen

Model3 McQueen

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
DanielBB8 said:
The dinosaurs look so fake and they don’t even bother to hide the support structure underneath the water so you can see there’s no dinosaur there. The boat lap bar is the worst. They need to put in seat belts instead. Most special effects don’t work.
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I haven't been to Universal in roughly 15 years, but I do remember a lot of the effects weren't working (such as the Ford falling into the water, or the rattlesnake dinosaurs shaking and spitting water as you.. Dilophosaurus?). I'm glad to hear the ride is getting the treatment it deserves. Let's just hold on to that small amount of hope that the Yeti at DAK is getting fixed soon ;)
 
dweezil78

dweezil78

Well-Known Member
1LE McQueen said:
I haven't been to Universal in roughly 15 years, but I do remember a lot of the effects weren't working (such as the Ford falling into the water, or the rattlesnake dinosaurs shaking and spitting water as you.. Dilophosaurus?). I'm glad to hear the ride is getting the treatment it deserves. Let's just hold on to that small amount of hope that the Yeti at DAK is getting fixed soon ;)
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In my experience it literally changes on a ride to ride basis. It's not that the effects are broken, it's that they simply don't work consistently -- especially the car falling down the wall. I suspect that is more a reset/cycling issue as I've seen it change throughout the day.
 
J

JD2000

Well-Known Member
For the sake of Universal Studios; there better not be any projections of dinosaurs (or anything other than far backgrounds). It needs to be heavy on practical sets and effects, and blow us away with new state-of-the-art audio-animatronics. I want to see the Tyrannosaurus Rex physically take down that Indominus Rex. And they need to dye the water so you don't see that concrete surrounding the dinosaurs and such.
 
Model3 McQueen

Model3 McQueen

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
dweezil78 said:
In my experience it literally changes on a ride to ride basis. It's not that the effects are broken, it's that they simply don't work consistently -- especially the car falling down the wall. I suspect that is more a reset/cycling issue as I've seen it change throughout the day.
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Is that an engineering feat, or was the technical capability just not there? - to have the effects go off for every ride vehicle.
 
Rich T

Rich T

Well-Known Member
So glad to hear they're investing in new animatronics. I was picturing going up the lift, through the gate, and then SCREEEEENSSS. If screens are used for background effects--cool. Personally, I think Jurassic World is one of the stupidest films I've ever seen--even in the context of the franchise's rules--while Jurassic Park is an absolute Spielberg treasure. Nevertheless, this ride needed rescuing, and I'm glad Universal's willing--and smart enough--to spend some money.

Good Star Wars counterbalance. I do hope they keep the T-Rex at the top of the drop.
 
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mickEblu

mickEblu

Well-Known Member
Jurassic Park is the last USH ride (aside from A few parts left of the tram tour) that holds any nostalgia for me. Hopefull they do a good job. It could use a face lift.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
I went to Universal Studios last year with the out of town family. That ride was a disaster. Nothing really worked. Everything looked like it was an old science project left to bake in the sun. The Ford Explorer just sat there attached to the cement wall for no good reason. The only thing that really worked was the ride system itself and the water splash at the end of the ride. It was all very sad looking.

At least there was a Panda Express next to the gift shop? (Not sure how that works thematically, but I'm a sucker for Orange Chicken.)

Glad to hear they are fixing it, but did they really need to let it get that bad?
 
J

JD2000

Well-Known Member
Kram Sacul said:
Hopefully they'll put some money into some convincing dinosaurs and reliable effects. The Ride was great when it first opened but has looked shabbier and sad as time went on.

How it looked like in 1997:

Click to expand...

TIL when dinosaurs age they really do lose their speed and mobility (just as humans do), and become much less frightening. ;)

But seriously, is that inherent with animatronics as they age, or is it intentional, to save on downtime and/or maintenance costs? It reminds me of the Snake on Indy.
 
D.Silentu

D.Silentu

Well-Known Member
I was curious how this Disney-centric community felt about the ride; I'm glad there's a thread about it. In my opinion it’s the closest thing Universal Hollywood has to a legacy attraction, being one of the oldest standing in the park and cloned throughout the chain. In Hollywood it remains unique as a ride that has no reliance on screens or video media. It also has lately become infamous for poor maintenance and having special effects that have gone the way of the dinosaur. The "falling jeep" was really thrilling when it worked and occasionally threw sparks your way.

The attraction was also somewhat unique in its presentation. Following the ride‘s “something goes terribly wrong” moment, guests are sent backstage. Here we see the backside of the park’s rockwork, revealing it to be nothing more than molded concrete in a steel frame. There are trees waiting to be placed, and some recalled for disease. There are also chlorination tanks for the 'natural' river we're traveling on. When the ’show’ of Jurassic Park is broken we get to see behind its theme park curtain. This is one of the most meta theme park moments ever created and thematically on point for Jurassic Park.

In a perfect world I would have Universal’s efforts directed to simply refurbish the ride to a modern standard. Of course, the only reason the ride is getting attention at all is due to the success of Jurassic World. Jurassic Park is a landmark film and more deserving of tribute than its sequels, no matter their success. That being said I’d rather this transformation than see the ride languish further. On that note I’m excited to see what they can do and anticipate an attraction that can count itself among the better rides from Universal
 
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Kram Sacul

Kram Sacul

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
George Lucas on a Bench said:
Everything you guys are complaining about I find incredibly charming. The flattened Ford on an obvious track? Robotic dinos that are no more convincing than the Disneyland railroad ones? Obvious support structures? Love it.
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I especially like the raptor on a rail that comes out of the ceiling. The magically floating t-rex and dino head on a stick (ala Dinosaur) are also fun.

Comparison between the original and what it looked like in 2016. It's even worse now.
 

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